Rider-Waite Tarot Deck & Book Set by Pamela Colman Smith

The original images. Pamela Colman Smith's 1909 artwork for all 78 cards, including the fully illustrated pips that made this the first deck most readers could learn from by looking.

Waite's own guide. The Key to the Tarot, 160 pages with a foreword by astrologer Liz Greene, gives you the creator's meanings for each card and the Celtic Cross method he popularized.

A divinatory chart. The included quick-reference chart lets you check a card's meaning mid-reading without opening the book.

• Cards: 78-card Rider-Waite tarot deck
• Card size: 2.75 x 4.75 inches
• Book: The Key to the Tarot by A. E. Waite, 160 pages, foreword by Liz Greene
• Also included: divinatory chart
• Art: Pamela Colman Smith
• Publisher: U.S. Games Systems
• ISBN: 9780880796866
• Weight: about 1 lb

The Rider-Waite tarot deck is used for divination, meditation, and study across nearly every modern Western tradition, from eclectic witchcraft to ceremonial magic. Arthur Edward Waite, a member of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, designed it and Pamela Colman Smith, a fellow initiate and working illustrator, painted all 78 cards; it was published in London by William Rider and Son in 1909, and U.S. Games Systems has published it in the United States since 1971. Smith's decision to illustrate every Minor Arcana card with a full scene, rather than a row of cups or coins, is why the deck became the template for most decks that followed.

This set adds Waite's own words. The Key to the Tarot is his guide to the cards' meanings and to the Celtic Cross spread he popularized. You can use the set as a complete first course: read a chapter, lay the cards it describes, and let the images and the text teach each other. That pairing of picture and key is how the deck was meant to be learned, and it still works.

1. Read Waite's introduction in The Key to the Tarot, then look at each Major Arcana card as he describes it. Ten minutes a day gets you through the trumps in about three weeks.
2. Cleanse the new deck with incense smoke, a night beside selenite, or a slow shuffle with your intention spoken aloud.
3. Shuffle however your hands like: overhand, riffle, or spreading the cards across the table and gathering them. There is no wrong way to shuffle a tarot deck.
4. Pull one card each morning and check it against the divinatory chart, then the book.
5. When you are ready, lay Waite's Celtic Cross from the book. Ten cards, one question, and the deck's whole vocabulary in front of you.

Waite gives you the meanings. The images, and your own eye, give you the reading. Our guide to beginner tarot card activities offers smaller spreads to practice before the Celtic Cross.

• Gold Rider-Waite tarot deck: the same images in gold foil on waterproof cards, for candlelit and travel readings.
• Rider-Waite tarot deck Kit: a black and gold foil edition packaged with cloth, bag, bell, feathers, and card holders.
• The Pictorial Key to the Tarot by A.E. Waite: Waite's fuller companion, with a black-and-white plate of every card beside its meaning.
• Ultimate Guide to the Rider Waite Tarot by Fiebig & Burger: a modern card-by-card guide for when you want more than Waite's brief entries.
• Sun and Moon Tarot Box, 3 3/4" x 5 1/2": a wooden box sized for the standard 2.75 by 4.75 inch deck.

What's the difference between this and the other Rider-Waite editions?

This set pairs the standard 78-card Rider-Waite deck, 2.75 by 4.75 inches, with Waite's Key to the Tarot and a divinatory chart. The Gold Rider-Waite prints the same images in gold foil on waterproof cards, and the Rider-Waite Tarot Deck Kit adds a black-and-gold foil deck plus cloth, bag, bell, feathers, and card holders.

How many cards are in a Rider-Waite tarot deck?

A Rider-Waite tarot deck has 78 cards: 22 Major Arcana, from the Fool to the World, and 56 Minor Arcana in the suits of Wands, Cups, Swords, and Pentacles, each with ten numbered cards and four court cards. This set includes all 78 plus Waite's book and a chart.

Is the Rider-Waite tarot deck good for beginners?

Yes, the Rider-Waite tarot deck is the most recommended first deck for a reason: nearly every tarot book, class, and online guide uses its images as the reference. This set is especially beginner friendly because Waite's Key to the Tarot and the divinatory chart are in the box with the cards.

How do I shuffle a tarot deck?

Shuffle a tarot deck any way that feels comfortable: an overhand shuffle, a gentle riffle, or spreading the cards face down on the table and swirling them before gathering. The 2.75 by 4.75 inch cards in this set are a standard size that most hands manage easily. Shuffle until the question settles.

How do I cleanse a tarot deck?

Cleanse a tarot deck by passing it through incense smoke, resting it overnight beside selenite, or shuffling slowly while you speak your intention aloud. Do it when the deck is new, after reading for someone else, and whenever it feels heavy. None of this is required; it is a way of marking the deck as yours.

Who created the Rider-Waite tarot?

The Rider-Waite tarot was created by Arthur Edward Waite, who designed it, and Pamela Colman Smith, who painted all 78 cards; both were members of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn. William Rider and Son published it in London in 1909. Many readers now call it the Rider-Waite-Smith or Waite-Smith deck to credit her.